1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an airbag cover for covering an airbag which has been folded and housed and, more particularly, to an airbag cover having an ornament. The airbag device having the airbag cover is mounted in the steering wheel, in front of the front seat passenger, the door, the seat or the like of an automobile.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the prior art, an airbag cover having an ornament is made to have a construction, as disclosed in JP-A-No. 2001-354098 (especially FIG. 3).
In the airbag cover disclosed therein, the ornament is provided with an ornamental portion arranged on the surface side of a door portion, and a plurality of mounting leg portions extended downward from the ornamental portion. This ornament is mounted on the door portion by inserting its mounting leg portions into mounting holes formed in the door portion and by bending the mounting leg portions at first bent portions on the back side of the door portion near the mounting holes. Second bent portions where the mounting leg portions are bent nearer their ends than the first bent portions are individually arranged. Further, the mounting leg portions at the second bent portions are covered with cover portions, which have a compatibility with the material forming the airbag cover and to which are melted/solidified together.
With this construction, the mounting leg portions of the ornament do not interfere with the airbag when expanding, so that they do not damage the airbag. This is because the mounting leg portions of the ornament at the second bent portions are covered-with the cover portions. Moreover, the cover portions suppress the twisting of the second bent portions thereby to improve the mounting strength of the ornament when the door portion of the airbag cover is opened.
In case an inflator to be used for feeding the airbag with an inflating gas has a high output, however, a strong force acts on the door portion when the door portion of the airbag cover is to be pushed and opened by the airbag being inflated. This makes it necessary to enhance the strength of the mounting leg portions of the ornament on the airbag cover to a higher level.